Digital Printing

The results of Print+Promo's 2012 top suppliers list taught us to anticipate the unexpected. We saw positive and negative changes alike.

Rochester, New York-based Eastman Kodak Company announced that its board of directors has elected Douglas Edwards as a senior vice president of the company, effective immediately.

Foster City, California-based EFI, a leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, has acquired Online Print Solutions (“OPS”), an innovator in the areas of web-to-print, dynamic publishing and cross-media marketing solutions.

Eastman Kodak Company announced Friday that it will cease making desktop inkjet printers as early as next February, adding 200 more jobs to the 3,700 that are expected to be cut by the end of the year.

Located in Mt. Laurel, N.J., OKI Data Americas, an industry leader in printing technologies, announced a strategic alliance with Mark Andy, Inc.

The typical CVS is everything from a pharmacy and five-and-dime store to a minimart.

Now a book printing technology company has signed an agreement with Eastman Kodak Co. that could make a CVS, and other retailers, into a vast bookstore as well.

New York City-based On Demand Books said Thursday it hopes as soon as late this year to begin wrapping its Espresso Book Machine into Kodak's retailer-based photo kiosks.

About the size of a pair of office multifunction devices, and built with Xerox Corp. 4112 copier/printers, Espressos can print, bind and trim a softbound book within a couple of minutes.

Printing parts supplier Parts Now, based in Middleton, has been acquired by CounterPoint Capital Partners, a Los Angeles private equity firm, for an undisclosed sum.

In a news release this week, Matthias Heilmann, a Counterpoint partner and the new CEO of Parts Now, said CounterPoint would be making "strategic and operating improvements" to expand business opportunities for Parts Now.

"With CounterPoint's financial commitment and operational support, Parts Now is well positioned for long-term growth and stability," said Matt McLeish, vice president of sales and marketing for Parts Now.

Inc. Magazine published the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in August, and several members of the print community made appearances on the list. In total, 50 industry businesses made the list this year. CFC Print Solutions, a business forms provider located in Grand Prairie, Texas, was highest-ranked industry company and the only one to crack the top 500, coming in at number 462.

Odenton, Maryland-based Gasch Printing, a family-owned and operated, digital printer specializing in short-run book printing, was recently ranked for the third straight year among America's Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2012.

Miamisburg, Ohio-based NewPage Corporation has upgraded its Digital Coated Paper line with a new look and new paper. Sterling Premium Digital and Sterling Premium Digital for HP Indigo are the new digital premium papers without the premium price tag.